U.S. embassies in London and India have ramped up visa denials and revocations for high-level executives, often citing decades-old “minor offences” such as cannabis use, bar fights and driving under the influence (DUI).
The surge, evident as of February 9, 2026, has swept up business travelers and specialized workers and has also reached spouses and children in some cases, curtailing executive mobility and disrupting corporate travel plans.
U.S. officials have framed the enforcement as part of a wider public safety push, while affected applicants and their advisers have confronted decisions that frequently provide limited detail about why someone no longer qualifies for entry.
The U.S. Department of State cast the effort as a “national security and public safety” mandate in a January 12, 2026 statement: “The Trump administration is upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process. [the US] will not tolerate foreign visitors violating our laws.”
A U.S. Department of State spokesperson, also on January 12, 2026, confirmed that many visas were revoked following reviews under “enhanced screening procedures” and that the “policy is aimed at strengthening public safety and national security.”
In London, consular officers have increasingly used Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to refuse visas, a provision that allows denial when an applicant does not sufficiently prove eligibility and does not require a detailed explanation.
Applicants and employers have had to adjust to decisions that turn on old records, including UK-style police cautions dating back to the 1970s, even when the conduct was relatively minor and far removed from an applicant’s present-day role.
The shift has taken on added weight in Britain because the UK Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, which “spends” minor convictions after a certain period, is not recognized by U.S. immigration law, affecting how historic cautions get treated in visa adjudications.
The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom outlines its standards on Ineligibilities and Waivers, a point of reference that has drawn new attention as denials rise at the largest U.S. visa post in Europe.
The current approach also reflects what has been described as a “Catch-and-Revoke” policy, attributed to a mid-2025 announcement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aimed at proactively cancelling the visas of foreign nationals who have any record of breaking laws, even historically.
That posture widened in August 2025, when the State Department launched a “continuous vetting” system reviewing the status of approximately 55 million foreign nationals holding valid visas.
For Indian nationals, the tightening has intersected with changes in consular processing that have delayed travel and extended time away from U.S.-based jobs, including in categories tied to specialized work.
Effective December 15, 2025, the State Department implemented mandatory social media vetting for H-1B visa holders and other categories, producing massive delays and rescheduling of appointments at consular offices in India.
Thousands of H-1B holders have been stranded in India as a result, with interviews scheduled for December 2025 pushed to mid-2026, preventing workers from returning to their U.S.-based roles.
The enforcement has also included high-profile action tied to narcotics and precursor chemicals, with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi describing visa consequences extending beyond the primary target to family members.
On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi revoked the visas of multiple Indian executives and their family members, citing involvement in trafficking fentanyl precursors under INA Sections 212(a)(2)(C) and 221(i).
Chargé d’affaires Jorgan Andrews linked that step to broader enforcement in a September 18, 2025 statement: “The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi remains steadfast in its commitment to combating illicit drug trafficking. Individuals and organizations involved in the illegal production and trafficking of drugs to the United States, along with their families, will face consequences that may include being denied access to the United States.”
While the New Delhi case referenced drug trafficking, the broader denial pattern described for London and India has frequently involved “minor offences” or police cautions from decades earlier, including cannabis use, bar fights and DUI.
The policy shift has coincided with a sharp jump in revocations, with more than 100,000 visas revoked in 2025, double the roughly 40,000 reported in 2024.
The 2025 crackdown included approximately 8,000 student visas cancelled, adding to uncertainty for families and universities as travel plans and academic timelines hinge on consular decisions and status reviews.
Roughly 2,500 specialized work visas, including H-1B, were cancelled due to encounters with law enforcement, extending the enforcement push beyond tourist and business travel into employment-based mobility.
London’s central role in U.S. visa processing has sharpened the effect of the change across Europe, with the post having issued over 150,000 non-immigrant visas in 2024 before the current enforcement surge.
For multinational employers, the immediate impact has been on routine executive travel, as any criminal history can now jeopardize visa approval and force cancellations of meetings, investor events and internal corporate visits.
The ripple effects have also surfaced in family travel, as revocations in many cases have extended to immediate family members, barring entire households from the United States and complicating schooling and caregiving arrangements.
U.S. officials have directed the public to government information channels as the screening and review effort expands, including Travel.State.Gov – Visa Newsroom for visa updates and U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India – Press Releases for New Delhi announcements.
Broader immigration policy and processing updates also remain centralized on USCIS.gov – Policy Updates, even as the intensified vetting described by the State Department has reshaped how the US embassy network handles visas for executives, students and skilled workers whose travel once relied on predictable renewals.
